Everybody loves a good pom pom, they have so many great crafty uses. But have you ever wondered how to make pom poms fluffy?
Today I’m going to share my secret for making super fluffy pom poms with a simple and unexpected tool. Can you guess what it is?
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I enjoy making pom poms when I’m feeling a little stressed out or am in a creative funk. Just the process of making something helps me clear my mind and opens me up to fresh ideas. They all get stored in a box for later use like embellishing gifts or fancying up other craft projects.
Here are several easy pompom crafts that you can make with your fluffy pompoms:
- 16 DIY Pom Pom Craft Ideas
- How to make pom poms using the best pom pom maker
- How to make a Flower Pom Pom
- How to make a Pompom Keychain & Bag charm
- Pom Pom Gift wrapping ideas
Anyway, back to my secret tool. If you are a cat owner you may already have one at home. Yes, it’s a humble cat grooming brush.
I picked this one up in Japan to use for blending wool roving when needle felting. If you don’t already have one, you can just get a basic one at your local pet shop or discount store. The ones with the fine wire pins are the best to tease out the yarn most effectively.
Depending on the yarn you use to make your pom pom, you can get some pretty cool effects that can look like faux fur.
My preferred way of making pom poms is using a doughnut shaped pom pom maker, it makes really dense pom pom balls. Also I have found that acrylic yarn fluffs up much better than wool, and the thicker the yarn the better. You can experiment with several types of yarn to see which you prefer.
How cute is this wooden pom pom maker that actually looks like a doughnut!
How to make Super Fluffy Pom Poms
You will need:
- Acrylic Yarn (10ply or thicker is best)
- Pom Pom maker – or your preferred method
- Sharp scissors
- Cat grooming brush
How to fluff pom poms:
1. Make your pom pom using your favourite tool or method. I like using this pom pom maker and have instructions for how to make a pom pom using a pom pom maker here. I’ve also explained 3 different methods for making a pom pom in the video included in this post.
2. Trim your pom pom so it’s nice and round, now it’s ready for fluffing.
3. Use the cat grooming brush to tease out the yarn fibres. A light brushing motion is all you need. Don’t be too rough as you may pull out the yarn strands. Work all around the pom pom till you are happy with the fluffiness level.
4. Trim any stray pieces of yarn and you’re done!
Here’s how the fluffed and non-fluffed pom poms compare. It’s quite a different effect.
I’ve experimented with different styles of yarns and found the thicker the yarn, the better the fluffy effect. Here the small pom poms are 4 ply acrylic yarn. The fluffed pom pom on the left still looks more lush than the one on the right, but not as fluffy as the one below it made from 10ply yarn.
This orange pom pom was made with a loosely woven chunky yarn. The final effect was almost like rabbit fur, but it shed a ton of fibre.
What’s the best yarn to make pom poms with?
My favourite yarn to use for this technique was Red Heart Super Saver yarn, which was left over from this crochet project. It had just the right level of fluff without shedding too much fibre. You can experiment with several of your favourite yarns to work out what the best yarn for pom poms is. Don’t be afraid to mix yarn colours and textures for interesting effects.
I’m a bit addicted to fluffing up pom poms now and will fluff any pom pom I can lay my hands on!
Now that I’ve shared my secret, it’s time for you to go forth and make a ton of fluffy pom poms!
Fluffy pom poms are the best! I’m going to make a bunch later this year in white for a “snowball” fight for relatives who live where it never snows.
Great idea!
To date your useful.information to use a cat grooming brush is my saviour.
I’ve been searching the internet on how to make pom.poms fluffy but wasn’t impressed with the same advice/posts which advised Crafters to trim the poor pom poms to death with scissors until the fluffy affect comes through.
In my opinion this is just wasting wool…which ain’t cheap these days.
The. I.came across your Pinterest post..yipee! A cat grooming brush- How easy is that?
Thanks for the useful much needed tip.
🤗
Cintia, I have more than one of those brushes lying around but it had never occurred to me. Thank you for this awesome tip!
Have fun pom pom fluffing!
Wow! Thanks for the tip!
Total genius. This NEVER would’ve occurred to me! Now I just HAVE to try it out! Thanks for the tip! 🙂 Lisa
p.s. I hope that you are out of the creative funk and/or stressful period. Hugs!
That is an awesome pom pom hack! Going to give it a try.:)
Aha! Love a fluffy pom pom/
The brushed fibers in the brush are great to use for stuffing toys.C
I feel like a lightening bolt hit me when I saw this post lol. I’m doing a craft at my job next week where we’ll be making pom pom bunnies and this will make them PERFECT. Thank you much!
They sound so cute. Glad I could be of help.
Thanks for sharing! It’s a great idea.
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
How cute and what at great idea to make them so fluffy. You make it look so easy that I think I will give it a try!
what a super idea….. I love foax fur pom poms and have a poodle pet brush, I will give it a try thank you very much
Hi. What else can I use besides the cat grooming brush please . Thanks
A fine comb also works.
Great idea! Love it. Thank you very much.
THank You so much . I made a pom pom rug it would have been lots better doing it your way.Thanks again
A pom pom rug sounds amazing. I bet it looks great.
This is a totally fabulous idea! So glad I found this on Pinterest and investigated! This is awesome! Thank you!
Glad you found it useful. Have fun fluffing up your pom poms!
What else could I use if I don’t have a fluffer
You could try a hair brush without balls on the end of the bristles maybe? I haven’t tried it myself so report back with the results if you get a chance.
My Mom made her pompoms that way when I was a kid. That’s 70 years ago!!!
Thanks for sharing! It’s a great idea. ZiRò
Thank you so much for sharing. I am an ER RN. and I worked with a doctor for many years and he used to tell me all the time. Information not shared, is information wasted. So I always do my best to share any information that might help someone else. I love making pompoms but did not know how to fluff them up. Now I do thanks to you…. Information shared!!!
Thank you for the great tip. Im making a xmas pompom wreath so ill bear in mind i may fluff them out. Quick question the fluff on the brush you have left over can you use that when needle felting please???
Thank you again
Sharon 🦋
If you use real wool yarn to make your pom poms I think it would certainly work in needle felting. Acrylic yarns wont felt.
If you are needle felting you can use acrylic roving, but it wont wet felt because it doesn’t have the same protein structure as wool. It takes a little bit of work, but it will needle felt.
Thanks for the tip. I’ll give it a try next time I have some acrylic roving.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
My 10 year old is participating in her 5th grade economics fair and wanted to make pom pom gel pens to sell.
Using the slicker pet brush to make them soft and fluffier is the coolest idea! Thank you for the help!
We used a wool card when I was little. It’s a tool for fluffing out sheep wool when we showed them. Not anymore. So this well be a new way to use an old tool. Thanks for the idea.
Hi Cintia, I am struggling to get nice thick pom poms, I use the clover pom pom makers. Do you have any handy tips? Cheers!
I find the key is to wrap as much yarn as you can and then trim heavily. Depending on the yarn you may need to trim about a 1/4 of the volume off. Also try experimenting with different yarns.
Hi Cintia,
I am from India.My daughter always love pom pom.Thank you for sharing.
Best wishes,
Dhanam
I love making pompoms
It’s not helping when ever I make a Pom Pom it turns out so bad 😶😐😤😭
What other things can you use instead of that brush?
I suppose you could try a comb or fine hairbrush (without little balls on the ends of the bristles), or a cleaning brush? It may be worth experimenting with items you have at home. Report back if you have success, I’d be interested to hear your experiment results.
Thank you for sharing .You did a great job on your pictures and written instructions.
Glad you found it useful.
ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! This makes the best-looking pom-poms ever. Thank you.